Selling your home in 2013?
Whether you are downsizing, upsizing or moving to a new location, there are some key steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the best price possible and to sell in a reasonable amount of time.
With the current competition in the market, to entice the few buyers out in the market, you have to make your home stand above the rest. Some mistakes home owners make when selling their home are pricing and looking at their home emotionally, not as a product and not presenting the home in its best light. If you have made the choice to sell in 2013, take a look at the ideas below to help achieve the best price in a reasonable amount of time.
1. Visit surrounding open houses that are comparable with your own. Note the price, natural light and how it is overall showcased. Note what you can do to make your home stand out over your competition.
2. Look at your home objectively, not as your own but as a buyer.
3. Curb appeal; A buyer’s first impression is important. Does that garage door need repainting, do you need to plant some privacy hedges, are walkways cracked and in need of repair. Remember they will take their first impression as they enter to the interior.
4. De clutter and depersonalize; Buyers are buying space make your home appear bigger by removing furniture and personal items. Replace art with mirrors this will reflect light and make small spaces look bigger.
5. Lighting is so important; Do not let this step be forgotten. Go from room to room and note natural light during the day and artificial light by night. Remove window treatments if they are an obstacle and put lamps in the rooms if needed or add higher wattage in your existing lighting fixtures. You do not want the buyer ruling your home out for being too dark when this step is such an easy fix
6. Kitchens and bathrooms are the heart of the home; Make sure they show their best. Resurface, paint or add new hardware to existing cabinets or update your backsplash to a modern style. Small touches can make a good impact. Same with the bathrooms, new lighting fixtures, faucets and a fresh coat of paint goes along way.
7. Fix and Repair; You have lived here and you may overlook the squeaky door or the scratches on the floor that come with living. Go from room to room and make a list of the issues that need attending. If your home is not a fixer upper you don’t want a buyer leaving thinking it is. So fix the leaky faucet, resurface the wood floors and fix the squeaky doors.
8. Stage and showcase at every showing; Prepare your home to look like an upscale hotel, beds need to be made like a pro, make sure counters and table tops are clear, if the view is the highlight open blinds and make sure the stinky gym bag is not lingering through the rest of the home. You get one chance with every buyer to make your home on the top of their list so do all that you can to make sure they leave with that warm and fuzzy feeling towards your home.
9. Now to pricing, which is a subject that becomes touchy to some. Of course you want the most you can get for one of your major investments but don’t be unrealistic. Do your research before hiring a REALTOR. Find your competition, match apples to apples…does it offer the same square footage, does it have a view, are the number of bedrooms and bathroom the same, does it have a pool, is the finishing the same, is it the same size lot and is the parking similar. These are what REALTORS® look at before they visit so it helps to be prepared. And as said earlier, go to open houses in your area and see your competition. Pricing is so critical at the onset of a putting your home on the market. You do not want to be doing 4 or 5 price reductions over the course of year to finally get a sale. In the first week of listing your home, you will get the most attention and it is visually looked at within 24 hours of being put in the REALTOR® system. If you have the criteria that matches and price, they will book appointment. If you are feeling the market out at a higher price, you may have just lost some of the few potential buyers already looking. Be aware of the disappointment waiting for a sale may cause. As soon as you decide to list your home and move, the waiting game can be the toughest part. Don’t make the mistake as many do, price it realistically according to the current market.
We at the Jane Hoffman Realty can offer you a step by step guide and checklist to help facilitate a sale of your home when you have made your decision to move. Call us anytime to talk about our expertise in all price levels of the market, our proven marketing strategies, current market conditions and what we do to make us the number 1 selling team in the Okanagan!